Retribution
by Odysseus42
Summary: When Harvey unknowingly has an affair with a married woman, he can't stop thinking about what he has done. Memories from his childhood keep appearing in his head, and he is haunted by the past. But apparently, his own guilt isn't punishment enough, because when her husband finds out, he is far from forgiving. Luckily Donna is around. What would he do without her?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone!**

 **There will be some Hurt Harvey later in this story and some Darvey as well. It should be 2-3 chapters long. I really hope you enjoy reading it! Thanks :)**

Harvey had been in a relationship with Emma Kaffe for a week and a half, and she was all he could think about. She was intelligent, beautiful and funny. In other words, the perfect woman. Ever since he had met her at a party for work, he couldn't get her out of his head.

It had been a month since he had spoken those words he so regretted to Donna; "You know I love you,". And he did love her. But like a friend, or a sister. Could it be something more than that? Harvey didn't know. He couldn't make sense of his own feelings. All he knew was that he hadn't thought of Donna in the last week and a half. Which was a good thing, right?

Harvey sighed, turning in bed, to see Emma lying next to him, her eyes open, staring at him. Her face was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. He smiled, looking into her deep green eyes.

"Hey," He said, his smile growing.

"Hey," She replied, brushing the hair out of her face. Harvey kissed her, their warm bodies pressed together. They lay there for a moment, in the calm morning sunlight.

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"Harvey, don't go yet," Emma pleaded, sitting up in bed, the grey duvet gathered around her. Harvey stood in front of his mirror, doing his tie.

"I have to, I'm sorry," He replied, walking over to her. "The firm would fall apart without me,"

"I know," Emma sighed, kissing him.

"Are you alright?" Harvey asked tentatively. "You seem different today,"

"I'm just… I don't know. It's nothing," She replied.

"Are you sure?" He said.

Emma took a deep breath. "Harvey. There's something I need to tell you,"

"What is it?" Harvey asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.

She looked so guilty, as if she was going to burst out in tears at any time. "I…"

"It's okay, you can tell me," Harvey reassured her. He put his arm around her, and pulled her closer to him.

"Harvey, I'm married," She finally said, her voice shaking.

Harvey pulled himself away from her and stood up. "What?" He shouted, louder than he meant to.

A single tear rolled down Emma's face. "Please, Harvey. I don't love him. I love you!"

"No." Harvey shook his head. "No," He repeated. "You can't be,"

"I am," She said quietly, closing her eyes. Tears were cascading down her cheeks. "Please, Harvey. Just-"

"Stop. Just stop talking," Harvey couldn't believe it. She was married. And she didn't tell him. He had made a fool out of a man he didn't even know. "Why the hell didn't you tell me before?"

"I'm sorry, Harvey. I'm so sorry," Emma implored, through sobs.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He repeated.

"I just… I didn't think you would-"

"Get out," Harvey said in a whisper.

"Harvey-"

"Just go!" He shouted. He sat down on the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, staring down at the floor. The door slammed as Emma left his apartment. _Take deep breaths,_ he told himself. _Just stay calm._ But he couldn't stay calm. He had done what his mother had done. He had done what he hated her for. He was so angry that Emma didn't tell him. And so angry with himself.

Everything had been so perfect. He had been happier than he could ever rember being. Why did it have to end? Why did she have to be _married?_

Suddenly his phone rung, jerking him out of his thoughts. He answered it, without looking at who it was. "Harvey," He recognised Donna's voice instantly. "Where are you? Jessica wants you in her office right now,"

"I'm on my way," He replied, trying to make his voice sound normal.

"Alright,"

"Bye,"

Harvey ended the call and took a deep breath. He sat there for a moment, thinking. Soon, memories came flooding into his head.

 _"Mom, what's going on?" Harvey stared at his mother. And the other man. Who the hell was he? "What is going on?" He asked again, when his mother just stared at him, open mouthed. The man froze. So did his mother. His mother couldn't be doing what he thought she was. It couldn't be happening. "H-Harvey. I thought you were at school," Lily said quietly._

 _"Well I'm not!" Harvey shouted. He took one last look at his mother and the man in bed, then stormed out of the room._

 _"Harvey!" His mother pounded on his bedroom door._

 _"Leave me alone!" He shouted. He wished he hadn't seen that. His mother and that man. He recognised him from years ago. He was sure he had seen him before. And now, the man had…the man had slept with his mum. Questions flooded into Harvey's head like a huge tidal wave. How long had this been going on for? Did dad know? Did she love dad? Or did she love that man? Why was she doing this? "Harvey, I need to talk to you," He heard his mother's voice from outside his room. He didn't want to talk to her. He was to angry, too emotional. "Go the fuck away!" He screamed, pacing in his bedroom. It was the first time he had ever said that word to his mother, but he didn't care. He was too angry. He could hear his mother crying outside. "Harvey, please listen to me,"_

 _"NO! Go. Away!"_

Eventually, he did talk to his mother. She told him not to tell his dad. And he didn't. Not until it was too late.

Did Emma have children? Did she have a family? What was her husband like? And did he know?Harvey eventually snapped out of his thoughts, and decided that he had to focus on work today. He had to forget it, ignore it. But how could he?

 **Next chapter should be up within the next few days so stay tuned! I would really appreciate reviews; I'd love to know what you thought of it :)**

 **Thanks**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry I took so long with this chapter; I've been busy lately. Hope you enjoy it!**

"Harvey! Harvey, are you even listening to me?" Jessica's voice suddenly cut through the silence.

"Uh, yes, I'll get on it, straight away," Harvey replied, getting up from the sofa. Jessica looked at him with a sceptical glance, sitting down at her desk.

"Are you alright, Harvey? You seem a bit distracted. I need your full attention on this merger,"

"I know, Jessica," Harvey sighed.

"I really mean it, Harvey; this is important. I can always put Louis on it instead,"

"What, so he can shit the bed? Jessica, I can deal with this merger,"

"Fine, Harvey. You can go now,"

The first thing Jessica noticed about Harvey was how there was something different about him. She didn't know what, but there was something. Was it his eyes? They looked different; somehow sadder than usual. But she still couldn't figure out exactly what it was. The second thing she noticed was that the man appeared to possess manners, for once! And he didn't complain about having to do a merger, even though he thought they were the most boring things in the world. The thing that stuck out the most was no sarcastic comments, or witty comebacks. There was definitely something up with him. It was like the Harvey-ness had somehow been taken out of him.

As Harvey approached his office, he knew he would have to be careful around Donna. He didn't want her to know. She couldn't know. But Donna knows everything, so he needed to try and act normally. This was going to be difficult.

"Donna, get Mike in here and arrange a meeting with David for tomorrow," He said, not stopping. He knew that when he was upset about Mike being found out by Jessica, he had used the words "please" and "thank you", which is how Donna knew, so he was careful with what he said.

He walked into his office, sat down, and looked back at Donna. It didn't look like she had worked out anything was wrong, which was a huge relief. But Harvey knew she would sooner or later.

He sighed, opening the blue folder sitting on his desk. There was a stack of papers inside, but it looked like one was missing from the file.

"Sup Harvs," Mike said loudly, striding into the room and taking his earphones out. He looked unusually happy this morning.

"Firstly, don't call me 'Harvs' and secondly, have you seen the documents that were in this file last night?" Harvey said, holding up the file.

"Dunno, Harvey. Documents fall out all the time. The world's an imperfect place," Mike replied with a grin.

Harvey looked at him, his classic "Harvey is not amused" expression on his face. "Quit mis-quoting the Breakfast Club and find that document. We don't have time to waste,"

Mike held out a pile of papers. "I was just looking over them. Turns out the world is a perfect place after all,"

Harvey snatched them from his hand and put them back in the file. "We don't have time to be messing around, Mike. This merger is important,"

"Alright, alright," Said Mike, holding up his hands in a surrendering gesture. "I filed that patent last night, so that's dealt with,"

Harvey nodded his head. "Okay, get on with whatever you're doing,"

"Okayyy," Mike cocked his head. "Is everything alright, Harvey? You seem… Different,"

Harvey shrugged. "I was just distracted thinking about how I need to give you more work,"

Now it was Mike's turn to put on his "Mike is not amused" face.

Mike left and Harvey leant back on his chair, thinking. Jessica was right; he was distracted. He couldn't even have a conversation with his associate without thinking about the bomb Emma had dropped on him.

Throughout the day, his mind kept coming back to it. He just could not get it out of his head. It took him twice as long to get everything done, and at 10:00, he still had a pile of work.

"Harvey, there's a man in the lobby here to see you," Donna's voice said over the intercom. "He says his name's Joseph Kaffee," Harvey froze at the last word. His blood went cold. Kaffee. Emma Kaffee. Joseph Kaffee. "Alright, send him up," He said, trying to sound calm.

He waited 30 seconds before saying. "Just got a text from Mike. Apparently, the fax machine is broken and he needs "the fax whisperer" to go fix it," Harvey couldn't bear Donna being here when Emma's husband confronted him. She couldn't know about any of this.

Donna smiled. "Tell him the fax whisperer is on her way," She got up out of her chair and started walking towards the file room.

A few moments later, there was a movement in Harvey's peripheral vision and he looked up to see a tall, large man in the doorway. He wore a black, expensive looking suit with a black shirt. "Harvey Specter," He spat, walking up to the desk. Harvey stood up.

He realised that there would be no point playing the "I have no idea what you're talking about" card, and instead said, "Look, she only told me afterwards. I didn't know until it was too late,"

"Yeah, right," Joseph snarled.

Harvey walked around his desk. "I am truly sorry. But I'm telling you, as soon as I found out, I broke it off," Joseph stared at him intently. He towered over Harvey, taking a step closer.

"Funny, that's not what _she_ said,"

Before Harvey knew what hit him, he heard his nose crack, as black circles appeared on the corner of his vision. He stumbled back slightly, surprised at the sheer force of this man's punch. He didn't have much time to recover; Joseph punched him hard in the stomach and grabbed him by the collar. He struggled, trying to get away, but Joseph was simply too strong. He lifted Harvey up and slammed him down into the ground with a low grunt. He kicked him in the ribs, hard, and Harvey groaned. He curled up in a ball, waiting for the next blow to hit.

"You" _kick_ "Fucking" _kick_ "Son" _kick "_ Of" kick "A"

"Stop!" Donna's voice rang out through the silence. She had just appeared in the doorway, after realising that Harvey had sent her on a wild goose chase. "Get off him, you bastard. I'm calling security right now!"

Joseph stood over Harvey, panting. Then he crouched down, leaning into him.

"If you ever touch my wife again, you'll get more than just a beating," Joseph stood up, looked at Donna, who was stood there, unable to move, lifted his foot up and brought it down on Harvey's head. He cried out in pain. Donna rushed to help Harvey, but Joseph intercepted her and pushed her to the ground, running out of the office.

Donna got to her feet and stumbled over to her boss. "Harvey! Harvey! Can you hear me?"

 **Hope you liked this chapter. The next one should be up in a couple of days. Reviews would be really appreciated! Also if you have any prompts or requests, feel free to PM them to me and I will do my best.**

 **Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

Harvey groaned quietly, rolling onto his side.

 _Don't panic_ , Donna told herself. _Just stay calm_. She hated seeing Harvey in such pain, unable to even move without help. She gently helped him to a sitting position and propped him up against the wall. His nose was bleeding, and his whole face was covered in bright red blood. His eye was swollen and red, and his lip was cracked. "Harvey, just wait here for a minute, okay? I'll be back," Donna told him, trying not to let her voice shake.

Donna was scared. What could Harvey have possibly done to get beaten up like that? It wasn't like it was just a random mugging on the streets either. This was deliberate. Donna wondered what the man had whispered to Harvey right before he left. Was it a threat? A warning? Or something else?

When Donna arrived back at his office with the first aid kit, Harvey was exactly as she left him, his eyes squeezed shut and his head tilted back against the wall. He was breathing heavily and his mouth was hanging open, surrounded by blood. Donna felt like she was about to cry, seeing Harvey like this.

"Harvey?" Harvey grunted a reply. "OK, I'm going to clean up your face," Harvey tried to reply, but instead he broke out coughing, his head snapping forward. "Don't try to say anything, just relax," Donna said, trying to comfort him. She dabbed the blood around his nose up with a tissue and cleaned up the combination of blood and spit on his chin. Harvey didn't make a sound, not even a groan. He just sat there, his face full of pain, all screwed up and tense. The room was filled with a strange silence, penetrated only by the sound of Harvey's raspy breath.

Soon his face was clean, but he still had a nosebleed and his lip was bleeding. His eye looked extremely painful; red and swollen, but he didn't even wince when Donna dabbed it with the antiseptic wipe. He must be used to all this, Donna assumed. Boxing wasn't a completely painless hobby. Donna looked at him, making sure there weren't any other injuries on his face.

"Donna," Harvey mumbled. "Thank y-" his throat caught and he coughed again. He tried to open his eyes, but shut them again. It was too painful. "Let's get you to the sofa. It will be better than the floor," Donna suggested. She helped him up and supported him while they walked to the couch. He was too weak to even stand up on his own.

Harvey dropped down on the sofa with a thump. Donna helped him to swing his legs around into a lying position, and propped his head up on the arm of the couch.

Harvey lay there, his mouth open and dry. Everything. Hurt. It hurt to speak. It hurt to cough. It hurt to breath. He had known it was coming, he just didn't expect Emma's husband to be so strong. Even though he knew the worst of it was over, he still felt nauseas, and dizzy. The ceiling looked different to usual. More… red. And more… moving? It was definitely moving. That probably wasn't a good sign. Harvey didn't dare move; he knew that it would just open up a world of pain. Instead he lay there, breathing deeply and staring at the ceiling. "Do you want a drink?" he heard Donna ask.

"Mhm," He replied, hoping she would take that as a yes. He didn't just _want_ a drink; he _needed_ it. His throat was parched and his lips were so dry he thought they would crack if he tried to move them. A few seconds later, Donna came back with a glass of water. She pressed it against his lips and gently drizzled it into his mouth. The cool liquid instantly moistened Harvey's throat and he felt less nauseas.

"Donna," He said, after the cup had been emptied. "I need to tell you what happened,"

"You can tell me tomorrow Harvey," Donna said, kneeling down next to the sofa. "Right now, you need some rest,"

Harvey closed his eyes. Donna knelt there for a moment, stroking his head, until he had gotten to sleep. Then she got his coat from the peg and draped it over him. How she wished she could just take him in her arms and comfort him, feel their bodies pressed together and feel safe and happy in his embrace. She sighed and stood there for longer than was necessary, just watching his chest heave up and down as he breathed.

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Harvey woke up and turned in his bed. He opened his eyes to see the normal view of the city in the sunrise. Instead, he saw a desk. "Shit," He muttered, as the last night's events came rushing back to him. "Donna!" He shouted as loudly as he could. Which wasn't very loud at all. "Donna?" He tried again, after getting no reply. He slowly shifted his legs around to get into a sitting position and waited for the dizzy feeling to go away. His head was pounding and he felt like he was going to faint. He looked over at Donna's office to see her sitting in her chair, her head lolled against the back. She was asleep. Harvey checked his watch. 6:30. They had an hour before people would be arriving for work.

He stood up and stretched out his arms. As soon as he did so however, a wave of pain was sent through his ribs. He grunted in pain. Slowly, he walked towards Donna's cubicle, his torso hurting with every step he took, and leaned against the side. "Donna," He whispered. She didn't move. She was obviously exhausted by last night's events. She probably couldn't get to sleep for ages either because she was worrying about him. Harvey sighed, briefly closing his eyes. If she hadn't been there… He didn't want to think about it. He hadn't really thought about what it would be like if she wasn't there for him every day of his life. What a mess everything would be.

She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. As if there wasn't anything worrying her. As if she was completely calm and tranquil. Far from it. Harvey knew she was never calm. There was always something stressful going on, usually his own fault. He had never even thought about it before; how much she did for him.

He decided to let her sleep until 7:00. Then they would have to have a difficult conversation.

"Donna," he whispered when the time came, putting a hand on her shoulder and gently shaking it.

"Mmhhh," Donna slowly lifted up her head, opening her eyes. "Harvey," She said when she saw him. "What- Oh. I remember. Your face…"

"Does it look bad?"

Donna nodded sympathetically. Harvey exhaled. "You have a right to know what happened… But first, paracetamol?"

"Top drawer,"

After Harvey had had some painkillers, they sat on the sofas and Harvey explained what had happened.

"I have been in a relationship with a woman called Emma Kaffee," Harvey said, looking at Donna's face for a reaction but finding none. "Yesterday morning she told me that she was married. So, I told her it was over." Harvey paused, unsure of exactly what to say next.

"And then her husband came here and beat you up," Finished Donna. Harvey nodded. He wasn't sure if he should tell Donna exactly how he felt about all this. How guilty and disgusting he felt. On one hand, he didn't like sharing his feelings in general, but on the other, he kind of wanted Donna to tell him that it was okay, that it wasn't his fault. There was a moment of silence.

"Well, I'm guessing he's not going to come back," said Donna.

"I hope not," said Harvey.

Donna looked into Harvey's eyes and said, "Harvey, I know you. I know you are torturing yourself over this, but don't. It wasn't your fault; you couldn't have known," Donna shook her head slowly.

There was so much Harvey wanted to say to her. He wanted to just pour out his feelings, but all he could say was, "I know,".

It didn't matter anyway, because Donna could practically read his mind. He could tell she knew exactly how he felt. They just knew each other so well.

"Donna… um…" Harvey wanted to just say it, but of course his mouth wouldn't work. He sighed. "I don't think… I don't think I really _loved_ Emma anyway," He paused, trying to collect his thoughts and make them into sentences that actually made sense. "She just… I just… I think…" _Why is this so hard?_ Harvey thought.

Donna looked slightly amused. "You are certainly very eloquent today," She said sarcastically, her eyebrows raised.

Harvey took a deep breath. "I didn't love her because… I love someone else. You, Donna," And then it all came flooding out. "I know I have been an asshole lately. I shouldn't have said the things I did and then just leave but… I just… I just couldn't find the words. And I can't even find them now. Please, try to forgive me. I know how hard it is. I know how stupid and insensitive I can be and I know you have given me so many chances already, and I keep messing up, but please, Donna. We have always been more than just friends. There's always been some kind of connection between the two of us and… I just… I don't just want you to _know_ that I love you, I want to show it. I want to prove to you that I won't mess up again. All you have to do is give me a chance. Please. Before it's too late,"

Silence.

Donna sat there open mouthed, a surprised look on her face.

"You're right Harvey. I have given you loads of chances, and you do keep messing up," Donna replied eventually.

Harvey felt his heart sinking and panic rising up in his throat.

But then Donna smiled. She leaned in.

And they kissed. It was better than any kiss Harvey had ever had before. He felt it. Not just him, but his heart, his whole soul. His very spirit was in this kiss. It was the best moment of his life. And then…

"OW! Mind my eye!" Harvey exclaimed, pulling away suddenly. "Sorry," He mumbled.

They both smiled. And kissed again. And again.

 **Hope you enjoyed the last chapter! I thought I'd give it a happy, Darvey ending so that it doesn't leave you all too depressed. Thanks for all the reviews and support; they really help! I have an idea for another fanfiction, this one might be longer, so watch out for it!**

 **Again, thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!**

 **Odysseus out ;)**


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